Francis Midford
|image = |kanji = フランシス・ミッドフォード |rōmaji = Furanshisu Middofōdo |species = Human |gender = Female |age = |height = |weight = |birthday = |affiliation = |previous affiliation = |occupation = Marchioness of Midford |previous occupation = |base of operations = Midford Manor |status = Alive |relatives = Cloudia Phantomhive (mother, deceased)Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 85, page 22 Alexis Leon Midford (husband) Edward Midford (son) Elizabeth Midford (daughter) Vincent Phantomhive (brother, deceased) Rachel Phantomhive (sister-in-law, deceased) Ciel Phantomhive (nephew) |manga debut = Volume 3, Chapter 14 |anime debut = |video game debut = |japanese voice = N/A |english voice = }} Marchioness Francis Phantomhive-Midford (フランシス・ミッドフォード, Furanshisu Middofōdo) is the wife of Alexis Leon Midford, mother of Edward and Elizabeth, sister of Vincent Phantomhive, and aunt of Ciel Phantomhive. Appearance Francis presents herself as a clean and orderly woman. She keeps her hair in a tight bun, but much like her daughter, has a long cowlick with a slight curl. She wears an ornate dress, with white gloves, and a short, beaded necklace. She is reputed for having retained the beauty of her youth, and is well-toned due to her intense physical training.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, page 12 Personality Francis is a proud and strict individual who is renowned for her tremendous ambition and prowess. She is a candid critic, and often directly voices her opinions of others. She abides by the rules, abstains from desire and temptation, and never hides her actions; for these reasons, she is highly respected. Prompt and committed, she has a tendency to arrive at destinations earlier than expected or planned.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, page 11 Moreover, she is extraordinarily dedicated, for she continues to cultivate her strength with rigorous training even after her marriage with Alexis Leon Midford. Francis regards people she deems lazy and indecorous with disdain, having insulted Ciel Phantomhive's bed head and called Sebastian Michaelis "indecent." Nevertheless, she does eventually gain considerable respect for both of them, and she holds Tanaka in great esteem, as indicated when she told Ciel and Sebastian to learn from him in terms of appearances.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, page 10 Additionally, she believes that unruliness in the home environment will ultimately lead to the moral decadence of a person, and is very attentive to detail and concerned about maintaining cleanliness. Francis deeply cares about her family, and it is extremely important to her that Elizabeth marries a man who can adequately take care of her.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, page 32 History Francis first encountered Alexis Leon Midford when she defeated him in a fencing tournament held by Queen Victoria. She chided him for being weak, despite his position as England's lead knight. Francis eventually got married to Alexis. Sometime afterward, Francis attended Ciel Phantomhive's coronation as the Earl of Phantomhive.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 63, page 26 Plot Red Butler Arc Several months after Angelina Dalles's death, Francis and her daughter, Elizabeth, pay a visit to the Phantomhive manor. When she arrives, she is disappointed by Ciel and Sebastian's lackluster appearances, commenting that they should learn from Tanaka, and insists on an inspection.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, pages 9-12 Although Sebastian had prepared everything for her visit, Baldroy, Mey-Rin, and Finnian accidentally destroyed all of it, which causes him to change his mind and propose many different destinations in the manor; in response, Francis reprimands him for being "indecisive."Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, pages 13-15 As a backup plan, he leads her out to the horse stables, where she challenges Ciel to a hunting competition so that she can determine his level of capability. Sebastian outlines the objective: kill the most animals in a twenty-five kilometer range of the forest in three hours. They, then, set out.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, pages 16-19 At the end of the competition, Francis and Ciel tie with fifteen animals each, and they agree that they cannot leave it at a draw. While eating lunch, a bear comes out of the forest and attacks Elizabeth, and Ciel hastily dives over to protect her. The bear is swiftly dealt with, and since Francis has her gun out, Ciel concedes that she killed a sixteenth animal; thus, she is the victor. Francis says it will take Ciel ten years to defeat her, yet she commends his bravery for shielding her daughter. She acknowledges his qualification of becoming her future son-in-law, and they decide to return to the manor.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, pages 23-30 While on the way there, Francis addresses quietly to Sebastian, who is carrying the carcass of the bear. She returns the knife that he has "left behind" in the bear's head, and reveals that she was so flustered by her fear for Elizabeth's safety that her shot missed. She then questions why Sebastian did not allow Ciel to take the glory for his killing of the bear, and Sebastian replies that because Ciel has a lot of ambitions, he must learn some humility. He adds that while Ciel is the head of a house, he is just a child; therefore, he thinks Francis would be a good, adult role model. Francis is impressed by his judicious character, and remarks that he is the type that will never be taken advantage of.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, pages 30-34 At the manor, the other servants have prepared a surprise party for Ciel, and Francis discloses that his thirteenth birthday is the real reason for their visit. She pats Ciel's head, wishes him a happy birthday, and then relies on the servants to take care of Elizabeth and Ciel in the future. Afterward, she thanks Sebastian for everything he has done, and reveals that she is aware of the smashed tea set, the ruined and bare garden, and the burnt dinner that he had earlier tried to conceal. Later, she, Ciel, Elizabath, Finnian, and Tanaka admire the snow.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, pages 36-38''Kuroshitsuji'' manga; Chapter 14, page 40 Luxury Liner Arc Francis, Alexis Leon Midford, Edward Midford, and Elizabeth Midford plan to travel to New York on the luxury passenger ship Campania for three weeks from April 17, 1889. Alexis has Elizabeth invite Ciel Phantomhive on their family trip.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 51, page 15 On April 17, Francis, Alexis, Edward, and Elizabeth board the first-class passenger deck of the Campania, where they encounter Ciel and his servants, Sebastian Michaelis and Snake. When Elizabeth hugs Ciel out of joy, Francis scolds her for displaying indecent behavior in public. When Alexis also hugs Ciel, Francis scolds him as well.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 52, pages 3-5 Afterward, Francis, her family, and Ciel eat together on the ship. Francis has Sebastian and Snake comb their hairs back.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 52, page 5 Three days later,Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 52, page 7 the Bizarre Doll invasion begins. At the elevator hall, Francis defends a few passengers from the Bizarre Dolls. She stabs one of the Bizarre Dolls in the chest, but it survives the blow, to her surprise. Sebastian arrives, killing the Bizarre Doll, and informs Francis that the only way to defeat the Bizarre Dolls is by smashing their heads. With that piece of information, Francis is able to eliminate a number of Bizarre Dolls, with Sebastian fighting alongside her. She, then, tells Sebastian that she will excuse his slovenly face and hairstyle, because of the advice he imparted.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 55, pages 18-20 In subsequence, Alexis and Edward rush in. When Edward asks Sebastian where Elizabeth is, Sebastian says that Elizabeth is with Ciel, to Francis's and Alexis's relief, for they are certain that Ciel will protect her at all costs. When Sebastian offers to escort them to some place safe, they refuse to go; Alexis declares that the Midfords have guarded England for generations and that, as knights, they would never abandon their people; Edward adds that, as English knights, they protect the weak. Both Alexis and Edward, then, turn to Francis for her approval, which she gives.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 55, pages 20-22 Francis, Alexis, and Edward prepare to fight the Bizarre Dolls, while Sebastian is about to leave.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 55, page 23 Suddenly, the ship violently shakes, shocking them. After running to the first class deck, they discover that the ship has crashed into an iceberg, and Sebastian dashes to the wheelhouse.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 56, pages 5-7 Later, Francis, Alexis, and Edward arrive at the first class lounge; they encourage the passengers there to persevere and kill the hostile Bizarre Dolls, thereby saving the passengers.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 57, pages 5-7 Afterward, they head to the first class deck, where Edward helps direct the passengers into lifeboats and Ciel returns Elizabeth to him.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 58, pages 26-30 The Midfords are in lifeboats,Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 65, pages 25-26 by the time the ship heavily tilts''Kuroshitsuji'' manga; Chapter 64, page 20 and breaks in two.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 65, page 3 A rescue ships comes at dawn, and the Midfords return to London.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 65, page 31 Blue Cult Arc The week after Edward Midford and Elizabeth Midford attend one of the Sphere Music Hall meetings together, Elizabeth tells Francis that she received a dinner invitation from a friend and leaves with Paula. Francis informs Edward of this, when he later questions her about Elizabeth's whereabouts, while she is eating dinner with Alexis Leon Midford. The same event occurs the following week.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 110, pages 12-13 Quotes * (To Ciel Phantomhive) "I came to hold a surprise check up and it seems you are lazing about as usual. On top of that, your butler is still as indecent as ever! Keep in mind that you are the man that my very own daughter will marry in the future. Re-training will take place today! I shall begin with the inside of your mansion! Unruliness in the home environment is the first thing that will lead to the heart being unruly." * "This is a good chance for me to see the kind of man my daughter will marry. But maybe ... hunting is too much work for Earl Phantomhive who is incredibly feminine?"Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, page 17 * "Hmph. It will be at least ten years before you can beat me. Though, you are worthy of my praise after such a display of bravery. You gave your all to protect my little girl. So, I owe you one. You are worthy of being my son-in-law, Earl Ciel Phantomhive."Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, pages 29-30 *(To Sebastian Michaelis): "You were the one who took down the bear, right? My shot missed. I actually panicked when I saw my daughter in danger. I must be getting old." Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, page 32 *(To Sebastian Michaelis): "You are a fellow that will never be taken advantage of." Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, page 36 Trivia * According to [[The Butler, Casting a Vote|the official Kuroshitsuji's character popularity poll]], Francis is the thirty-sixth most popular character in the series, with 13 votes.June 2015 Issue of Square Enix's GFantasy Magazine * Her only "appearance" in the anime has been limited to a brief, relatively unclear snapshot of her in a photograph.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 12 References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Nobles Category:Manga-Only Characters Category:Midford Household Category:Red Butler Arc Category:Luxury Liner Arc Category:Public School Arc Category:Blue Cult Arc